A file photo of an entrance to the Iranian Foreign Ministry building in Tehran

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Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Araqchi has dismissed the recent remarks by Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird on the June 14 presidential election in the Islamic Republic.
On June 16, Baird, who has a reputation for making rude interfering remarks, described Iran’s 11th presidential election as “effectively meaningless.”
Asked about the remarks by the Canadian foreign minister, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, “I see little necessity to respond to these remarks.”
“Remarks of this type have been made by the Canadian foreign minister several times, and I have come to the conclusion that one should doubt his (Baird’s) political judgment,” Araqchi noted.
Hojjatoleslam Hassan Rohani emerged victorious in Iran's June 14 election, which was marked by a high voter turnout, winning 50.7 percent of a total of 36,704,156 ballots counted. The voter turnout in the election was 72.7 percent, according to Iran’s Interior Ministry.
Protests in Turkey
Commenting on the recent protests in Turkey, Araqchi called on both the Turkish people and the government to exercise restraint.
The unrest in Turkey erupted after police broke up a sit-in staged at Istanbul’s Taksim Square on May 31 to protest against a government plan for the redevelopment of Gezi Park in the city.
The Turkish prime minister has faced international condemnation for his handling of the crisis. Turkish police have also been strongly criticized for using excessive force against the peaceful protests.
Five people, including a police officer, have reportedly been killed in the clashes and nearly 7,500 have been injured.
YH/HSN/HJL